Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Pittsburgh received a $718,028 Project Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), awarded June 9, 2026, with a completion date of May 31, 2031. This award supports research to decipher the gating mechanism of intraflagellar transport (IFT) in Trypanosoma brucei, a parasitic protozoan responsible for African trypanosomiasis. The research will employ advanced structural and functional characterization techniques, including cryogenic electron microscopy and magnified expansion microscopy, coupled with mutation phenotype analysis to investigate transition zone components and their role in regulating flagellar protein trafficking in kinetoplastids.

The research deliverables will generate foundational scientific knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms governing IFT complex docking and transit through the transition zone gate in T. brucei. By characterizing these poorly understood mechanisms in this divergent organism, the project aims to advance understanding of flagellar biogenesis, a process essential to parasite motility and transmission. This research supports NIAID's mission to establish and expand biomedical research addressing infectious diseases and related areas, with potential implications for developing novel therapeutic strategies targeting essential biological processes in African trypanosomiasis.